‘Lost Joy’ Review
Stars: Winter Bassett, Jordan Laemmlen, Vincent Catalina, Alexander Stavrou, Stephen Januzik, Lamby Laemmlen, Luke Rhoades | Written by Winter Bassett, Jordan Laemmlen | Directed by Jordan Laemmlen
A couple’s getaway to an idyllic cabin in the woods takes a sinister turn when a mystery visitor comes-a-knocking one night. Things are already tense between Jane (Winter Bassett) and her boyfriend Jon (Vincent Catalina), so the arrival of a third party only piles more pressure onto their fractured relationship. And what does Jack (Jordan Laemmlen) want anyway? Immediately rubbing jealous, controlling Jon the wrong way, it’s evident that this smirking stranger knows more about Jane and her relationship than he’s letting on.
Directed by Laemmlen and co-written by Bassett, Lost Joy is a gritty psychological thriller about toxic relationships and one woman’s crumbling mental state. As Jane, Bassett (previously seen in The Wayfinders and an episode of Euphoria) is a powerhouse, more than standing her own against the creeps and weirdos she’s up against here.
Unfortunately, her male co-stars fare less well, between Catalina’s unintimidating boyfriend and Laemmlen’s overenthusiastic interloper. It’s clear what they’re going for, but it’s overegged in both the writing and the performances – largely coming across as annoying rather than menacing or creepy. And then an equally grating repairman (Alexander Stavrou) arrives on the scene, putting poor Jane at the heart of a three-way tug of war between toxic men. It’s little wonder she starts to lose her mind.
If the first half is a touch on-the-nose, then the final act is as unsubtle as a fist to the face. It’s fairly obvious from the off where all this is headed, and Lost Joy does little to divert from course. Still, Bassett gives it her all, and there’s some satisfaction to be had in the bloody denouement of her journey.
Lost Joy has precious little to say about abusive relationships or breaking sanity, but it’s not without merit. It’s a twisty, mildly twisted version of the couples’ cabin in the woods film, finding purpose in its powerful lead performance.
